Mihila Radio - Sri Lanka Medical Newshttp://www.mihilaradio.com
Mihila Online Radio - From Japan to the Cyber Spaceen-usmednet@mednet.lk (Sri Lanka Medical Network)Mon, 19 Mar 2018 20:56:02 -0700Maryland will wear weird faux-wool jerseys against Kentucky to honor the Brooklyn Dodgershttp://www.mihilaradio.com/article23790-maryland-will-wear-weird-faux-wool-jerseys-against-kentucky-to-honor-brooklyn-dodgers.html
If the alternate jerseys Maryland will be wearing against Kentucky on Nov. 9 appear to be merely the latest abominable example of college basketball's newfound infatuation with gray, then take a closer look.Those aren't just basic ugly gray jerseys. They're ugly gray jerseys with a textured pattern meant to resemble wool.
Since the season-opening Kentucky matchup will be held at the brand-new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Under Armour chose the unusual look to honor the Brooklyn Dodgers. The faux-wool jersey is supposed to be reminiscent of 1950s-style baseball uniforms, while the Maryland script is both something the Terps have worn previously and another homage to baseball.
"The expectation is for teams to come out in unique uniforms for big games," Adam Clement, Under Armour's lead designer for uniforms, said in a statement. "We worked with the school to do something that showed the appreciation for sports in Brooklyn."
The gray jerseys are just one of a myriad of new looks Maryland will be unveiling next season. Expect the Terps to also don a "Pride" basketball jersey modeled after the state flag and reminiscent of the ones the football program wore during the 2011 season.
Whereas the preliminary design of the Pride jerseys appears to be bold yet tasteful, these Brooklyn jerseys don't hold the same appeal.
First, like most gray jerseys, they're not exactly aesthetically pleasing. And secondly, why should Maryland wear a jersey that honors the Brooklyn Dodgers? If the Terps ever play in Montreal, will they bring back the Expos logo?
Thankfully, the jerseys are merely a one-time-only experiment. As one commenter on the Maryland-themed site, Testudo Times, said, "They are ugly as sin and the University of Maryland basketball is paying homage to a Brooklyn baseball team. I don't get it."]]>http://www.mihilaradio.com/article23790-maryland-will-wear-weird-faux-wool-jerseys-against-kentucky-to-honor-brooklyn-dodgers.htmlsportsnewsFri, 19 Oct 2012 00:47:06 -0700World Series-bound Tigers must wait for full applause after sweeping Yankeeshttp://www.mihilaradio.com/article23789-world-series-bound-tigers-must-wait-for-full-applause-after-sweeping-yankees.html
DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers will have to be patient. Their due is coming. Just not today. Probably not tomorrow.On the exuberant end of a Phil Coke glove spike, they are going to the World Series. They swallowed the New York Yankees whole. They should be proud of that. Dance away. Enjoy the weekend. Here's the coming narrative: The New York Yankees were swallowed wholly.
You know, by somebody.
This is not fair. After a harrowing regular season and a breathy five-game division series against the Oakland A's, the Tigers flew through the night to Michigan. They hung around for the day, waited out the New York-Baltimore series, flew on to New York and immediately commenced the ALCS butt-whippin'.
Justin Verlander and the Tigers' pitching staff was smoking all series long. (AP)Over four games – two of them in the Bronx and two here – the Tigers never trailed, not even for an inning. Their starters – Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer – let in two earned runs over 27 1/3 innings. (Therefore, Yankees' runs ran neck-and-neck with Yankees' pitching changes.)

[Slideshow: Tigers celebrate after sweeping Yankees]
History will show the Tigers played an extraordinary ALCS, pitching to remarkable exactness and owning all but one big moment. The put-away Game 4 was every inch as precise and thorough as an 8-1 score could manage.
From the front of the rotation to the back of the bullpen, the Tigers held the Yankees to two hits Thursday afternoon, to a .157 batting average in the series, to a going-away victory that set off downtown Detroit in a navy and orange celebration.

[Related: Delmon Young wins ALCS MVP]
Jim Leyland watched the final outs from his usual spot in the third base-side dugout. Though the sun had gone down, the lights were on, and darkness hung over the stadium, he watched from behind sunglasses. Perhaps he hid tearful joy for the distance his club had covered, particularly since late September. Perhaps he poked at his dear old friend Tony La Russa, who'd famously spent night games in the same personal darkness.
These Tigers had come a ways to get those last few outs, and to get them so comfortably.
"I just reminded everybody when we took our punches all year, you know what," Leyland said. "Let's just wait till the end, and then if we have underachieved, I will be the first one to admit it. But let us play out the schedule to see if we underachieve. So hopefully we've quieted some doubters now. The guys just stepped it up when we had to."
That is the story. Soon. That the Tigers are going to the World Series for the second time since '06, that the salty Leyland has brought them there, that they look like the team to beat. It's a great story, too.
And yet …
In a small clubhouse behind the third-base dugout, the Yankees came to grips with the reality they'd come to the American League Championship Series and made spectacles of themselves, and for all the wrong reasons. They'd had home-field advantage, because they'd won 95 games, seven more than the Tigers had. For six months the Yankees had the deeper lineup, a comparable rotation, a reasonable bullpen.
Then, on a cool Saturday night in the Bronx, the Yankees began to unravel. Derek Jeter broke his ankle. A ninth-inning rally led merely to a loss. Over the final 30 innings of the ALCS, the Yankees would score two runs.
Detroit won the AL pennant for the second time in six seasons. (AP)Alex Rodriguez was benched. So was Nick Swisher. So was Curtis Granderson. None of it worked, not for very long. They leaned on men who'd become part-timers for a reason, or who'd been injured. Of those entrusted to continue the fight, Robinson Cano was one for the postseason, Russell Martin batted .143, and Mark Teixeira stood proudly at .200. Only Ichiro Suzuki carried the life of his regular season into October.
Behind their own capable pitching, they still were beaten. On Thursday, when ace CC Sabathia possessed a doughy fastball and flat breaking ball and couldn't maneuver himself out of the fourth inning, they were crushed. This would be viewed first as a colossal failure by an organization that prides itself on the banners it hangs and the pressure its players endure, all in the name of the universe – Yankee Universe, according to the T-shirts – it created.
Had they cared to listen, the Yankees might have heard the Tigers – Verlander waved his cap to the crowd, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder fouled up their triumphant handshake and fell into a hug, series MVP Delmon Young hoisted his fist – on the field they'd just been run off. Instead, they picked through questions about their own awfulness, contract statuses and futures.
Change is coming. There was a day when George Steinbrenner would insist on such after such an epic failure. Those left in his place likely have the same thought, though they may carry it out less colorfully.
A-Rod? Granderson? Swisher? Ichiro? Martin? Raul Ibanez?
Granderson shook his head slowly. The Yankees hold a $13 million option for 2013. He claimed it hadn't entered his mind.
"None at all," he said. "I'll get a phone call one way or the other."
By Game 4, manager Joe Girardi discovered a matchup that might suit A-Rod. It was Drew Smyly, the left-hander. Pinch-hitting, A-Rod made the last out of the sixth inning, with two on and the Tigers leading by five. He batted .111 in the series. He'd batted .125 in the last series, when the Yankees hit .211 as a team and were bailed out by a Baltimore team that hit .187.
"You never expect that," A-Rod said. "It's a terrible way for the season to end."
He said he was not angry with Girardi or general manager Brian Cashman for marginalizing him during the series. He said he paid no mind to reports further marginalization could send him all the way to Miami or elsewhere. His intention, he said, was to go home, see his daughters, and return as a Yankee in the season he'll turn 38, with $117 million still owed him.
"I love New York City," he said, "and I love everything about being a Yankee."
Alex Rodriguez went 0 for 2 as a reserve in Game 4 on Thursday. (AP)Asked then if he'd consider waiving his no-trade clause, were it to come to that, he said, "I haven't thought about that. I love New York City. I plan to be here and be productive for a while."
Cashman will have some but not all the say in what the Yankees look like come April, and whether that look will include A-Rod.
"I expect Alex to be here," he said. "I expect him to come back and be our third baseman. What happened here I don't think reflected Alex's abilities. That goes for a lot of our guys, not just Alex."
The disaster of the ALCS – the fact the Tigers were everything they were not – seemed to pin them all to the same cinder block wall. Many questions were answered with shrugs. Why hadn't they hit? How had they lost so thoroughly? What does this mean for next season? Who takes the fall?
[Y! Sports Fan Shop: Buy Detroit Tigers championship merchandise]
"It was a miserable series," hitting coach Kevin Long said.
The Yankees were outscored by one team – the Texas Rangers – in the regular season, by four runs over 162 games. They managed against the Orioles in the division series. And then the Tigers arrived.
"I'll take it," Long said. "If somebody wants to put the blame on me, feel free. The work, what I do on an everyday basis, it works. Listen, the blueprint has been good for a long time. … I'm a big boy. I can handle this."
At the mention of A-Rod, Long continued, "He's been challenged right now. We'll see what he's made of. If somebody wants to count him out, feel free. But I remember the same stuff about Derek Jeter. So feel free."
For the moment, they felt like failures. The world, starting in New York, believes they are right. It was a failure, to the extent of the scores, and the series that was over before it hardly began, and the fight they put up.
And how else could a team – a series – be judged?
Well, by the opponent. By the team that took it to them. By the team that was better in every possible way. When do the Tigers get theirs?
Wednesday. On the night they gather for another game, when they hand the ball to Justin Verlander, and they play for the World Series.
Yes, they were great. People will recognize that, and appreciate the Tigers for it. But, first, the Yankees will have to be terrible for a while.]]>http://www.mihilaradio.com/article23789-world-series-bound-tigers-must-wait-for-full-applause-after-sweeping-yankees.htmlsportsnewsFri, 19 Oct 2012 00:46:36 -0700NLCS Game 4: Cardinals one win from World Series return after 8-3 dismantling of Giantshttp://www.mihilaradio.com/article23788-nlcs-game-4-cardinals-one-win-from-world-series-return-after-8-3-dismantling-giants.html
Score and situation: The St. Louis Cardinals took command of the NLCS and put themselves one win away from a World Series return with an overpowering 8-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night.Leading lads: Adam Wainwright bounced back from his awful Game 5 outing against the Washington Nationals with a real gem. The Cardinals righthander tossed seven strong innings with the only damage coming on Hunter Pence's monster second inning home run. He also struck out five and earned his first postseason win as a starter.
The offensive attack for St. Louis was balanced and relentless. Game 3 hero Matt Carpenter was in the middle of most of it, reaching three times and scoring twice. Matt Holliday drove in a pair of runs with singles in the first and fifth. Jon Jay also delivered a two-run double off left-handed reliever Jose Mijares to blow the game open.
Head hangers: This was not the return to the rotation Bruce Bochy envisioned for Tim Lincecum. It was far from the worst we've seen from Lincecum this season, but it was even further from the workhorse Lincecum we saw in the 2010 postseason. In fact, the 4 2/3 inning outing was the shortest of his six career postseason starts, while the four earned runs and three walks equaled his previous highs. The only upside for San Francisco is that Lincecum's outing was short enough that he should be available out of the bullpen in Games 6 and 7 should they be necessary.
[Related: Jason Motte ready for his close-up]
(AP)Key play: The botched play at the plate in the fifth inning was chaotic and seemed to be the dagger for San Francisco. Centerfielder Angel Pagan did a nice job keeping Matt Holliday's frozen rope single in front of him and started the process of what should have been an out at home. Unfortunately, Brandon Crawford's relay throw was in the grass and catcher Hector Sanchez went for the tag before securing the ball, allowing it to trickle away. Carpenter was dead to rights if the play was executed, but as it was he touched home and Holliday moved into scoring position himself setting up another Cardinal run.
Interesting stat: Busch Stadium has not treated Tim Lincecum well lately. Over his last 13 2/3 pitched in downtown St. Louis, he's allowed 11 earned runs.
What they'll be talking about: Was the decision to move Tim Lincecum back into the rotation worth it for Bruce Bochy? Some will say he didn't have much of a choice based on postseason performances from Madison Bumgarner and Barry Zito, while others will bring up how well Lincecum had performed a in relief role this postseason. There should be a third camp pointing out that it probably doesn't matter at this point against a locked in Cardinals offense.
[Related: In case of emergency, Cardinals use Carpenter — Matt Carpenter]
Bochy's decision to go with Hector Sanchez behind the plate over Buster Posey will get also get some ink and airtime. Along with the botched play defensively, Sanchez went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.
What's next: The Cardinals will look to punch their ticket to the World Series, while the Giants will try to extend their season and get back at AT&T in Friday's Game 5. Lefthander Barry Zito will be given the task of saving the season for Bochy's squad. Mike Matheny will turn to all-star Lance Lynn. First pitch is scheduled for 8:07 ET.]]>http://www.mihilaradio.com/article23788-nlcs-game-4-cardinals-one-win-from-world-series-return-after-8-3-dismantling-giants.htmlsportsnewsFri, 19 Oct 2012 00:45:58 -070049ers take temporary control of NFC West with 13-6 win over Seahawkshttp://www.mihilaradio.com/article23787-49ers-take-temporary-control-nfc-west-13-6-win-over-seahawks.html
The San Francisco 49ers used sound second-half adjustments on both sides of the ball and a steady dose of Frank Gore to erase a 6-3 halftime deficit to move to 5-2 on the season, momentarily taking control of the NFC West with a 13-6 win over the Seattle Seahawks (4-3) on Thursday night.After Steven Hauschka and David Akers exchanged field goals in the first goal, the Seahawks took a 6-3 lead on a 35-yard field goal by Hauschka with 12:07 to play in the second quarter. After allowing the 49ers to gain 98 yards and control the clock for nearly nine and a half minutes in the first quarter, Seattle's defense stymied the 49ers in the second, limiting Alex Smith and Co. to just 12 net yards of offense on nine plays in less than five minutes of possession. Even when taking over at midfield with 1:27 to play in the half following a 38-yard punt return by Ted Ginn, the 49ers' offense couldn't move the ball an inch and were forced to punt the ball back to the Seahawks.
In the final 30 minutes, however, the 49ers would take over.
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On their first possession of the second half, Smith directed a 10-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown catch-and-run by tight end Delanie Walker, who avoided Seahawks defenders to sneak inside the pylon for the score. On that drive, Smith checked down to running backs Gore and Kendall Hunter for gains of 15, 11 and 12 yards and connected with Michael Crabtree for 10 yards on a critical 3rd-and-9 play.

Gore was the offensive star of the night, rushing for a game-high 131 yards and had 49ers team-highs with five receptions for 51 yards. Smith completed 14-of-23 pass attempts for 140 yards and the touchdown for Walker, but made a critical error in the red zone when the 49ers had an opportunity to take a 17-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. Facing a 3rd-and-7, good coverage by Seattle's defense forced Smith to roll out to his left where he missed a wide open Randy Moss in the back of the end zone before throwing the ball late and across his body. Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner intercepted the pass to thwart a potential scoring drive.
Following a three-and-out by the Seahawks' offense, Gore and Hunter chewed up nearly five minutes of the game clock on a seven-play, 39-yard drive to set up a 28-yard field goal by Akers that extended the 49ers' lead to seven points. The Seahawks could not advance beyond their own 31-yard line on their following possession and were forced to give the ball back to the 49ers with just over two minutes remaining on the clock and a pair of timeouts to potentially give the offense another shot. Seattle's defense did their jobs, stuffing Hunter, who had replaced a banged up Gore (ribs, is expected to be fine), for runs of two and zero yards. Smith attempted a quarterback draw that went for three yards and the 49ers were forced to punt. A 66-yard boomer from Andy Lee pinned the Seahawks at their own 11-yard line with 1:35 to play and no timeouts.
A quick five-yard out to Sidney Rice was followed by Wilson taking a seven-yard sack when Aldon Smith beat right tackle Breno Giacomini. On 3rd-and-17 from their own 4-yard line, Wilson's pass to tight end Zach Miller was tipped at the line and fell short. The night got interesting on 4th-and-17, as Wilson connected with Ben Obomanu, who appeared to have reached near the line to gain. However, the referees had called Seahawks left guard Paul McQuistan for a chop-block in the end zone, which would result in a safety and a 15-6 win for the 49ers. With Obomanu ruled short of the line to gain — which was confirmed by replay — 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh opted to decline the penalty and take the ball over on downs instead of providing Seattle with an opportunity to run an onside kick.
[Related: The surprising, yet obvious best team in the NFL]
The 49ers held Seattle's offense to just 74 yards in the second half, though the Seahawks were frequently their own worst enemy throughout the night. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson struggled, completing just nine of 23 attempts for 122 yards and made an ill-advised throw into triple coverage that was intercepted by 49ers safety Dashon Goldson. While Wilson may have struggled, he was going up against one of the NFL's top defenses and got little help in the passing game from his supporting cast. Rookie running back Robert Turbin dropped what appeared to be a touchdown pass on their opening possession, tight end Evan Moore dropped what would have been a 20+ yard gain on the opening play of the second quarter and Golden Tate had a pair of drops, including on a 3rd-and-2 play from the 49ers' 43-yard line, the furthest into San Francisco territory the Seahawks would venture in the second half.
One bright spot for the Seahawks offense was the play of running back Marshawn Lynch, who had 19 carries for 103 yards, gaining many of his yards after contact. With his 103-yard night, Lynch now has an NFL-high 652 rushing yards on the season, leading Gore by 51 yards.]]>http://www.mihilaradio.com/article23787-49ers-take-temporary-control-nfc-west-13-6-win-over-seahawks.htmlsportsnewsFri, 19 Oct 2012 00:45:14 -0700A-Rod says he won’t waive no-trade clausehttp://www.mihilaradio.com/article23786-rod-says-he-wont-waive-no-trade-clause.html
It might be great fun to spin the wheel of possible trade destinations for Alex Rodriguez, but the embattled New York Yankees star says our party is already over.Speaking to reporters after the Yankees were swept out of the postseason on Thursday night, A-Rod says he will not waive the no-trade clause in his contract this offseason and wants to remain in pinstripes for the foreseeable future. The 37-year-old still has five years and $114 million left on the 10-year, $275 million deal he signed after opting out in 2007.

"I will be back. I have a lot to prove," Rodriguez told reporters (via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch) after New York's 8-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers. "I've never thought about going to another team. My focus is on staying here. Let's make that very, very clear."

Right now, the only thing that's clear is that A-Rod appears to either be a glutton for punishment or own an insatiable need for attention. Or maybe both. He was booed constantly at Yankee Stadium during a postseason that saw him go 3 for 25 at the plate while losing three starts to Eric Chavez, who didn't bother to collect single hit. On top of it all, the New York tabs stuck him in the middle of a ridiculous and, frankly, unfair flirting controversy involving an Australian swimsuit model who was sitting near the Yankees dugout.
[Related: Tigers must wait for full applause after sweeping Yankees | Photos]

If there ever were a time for A-Rod to hit an escape hatch and watch his skills diminish in a less critical atmosphere, this hot stove season would seem to be it. Speculation over possible landing spots, including Miami and Chicago's South Side, started (and denied!) even before the Yankees were eliminated in Game 4 and perhaps the raw emotions after such a collapse would have put the Steinbrenner Bros. in a money-eating mood this winter.
Perhaps A-Rod will change his mind in the weeks and months ahead or perhaps he won't. At the very least you have to give him credit for maintaining a level head through the extreme soap opera of the past week and not giving into the emotion of the moment.
But if he really wants to stay in New York, the place he professes to love so much, he'll have to find out what's wrong with that swing.
Otherwise, it's going to be a long five seasons for everyone involved.]]>http://www.mihilaradio.com/article23786-rod-says-he-wont-waive-no-trade-clause.htmlsportsnewsFri, 19 Oct 2012 00:44:41 -0700Lakers planning for Dwight Howard to play Sundayhttp://www.mihilaradio.com/article23785-lakers-planning-for-dwight-howard-to-play-sunday.html

The Los Angeles Lakers have targeted Sunday's preseason game against the Sacramento Kings for Dwight Howard to make his debut, several sources told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday night.
Barring any complications with Howard's back over the next couple days, the Lakers are optimistic the All-Star center will make their first appearance for them on Sunday."He is making progress," one Lakers source told Yahoo! Sports. "There is a good chance he can play Sunday."
Howard has been sidelined since having surgery in April to repair a herniated disk. He's not expected to play against the Kings on Friday in Las Vegas. The Lakers would like Howard to play in two of their three remaining preseason games after Friday, sources said. But they're hesitant to play him in both games of a back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday.
[Related: Kobe's got A-Rod's back]
Howard hasn't had any setbacks in practices since training camp began. If he has another strong workout on Saturday, team doctors are expected to clear him to play Sunday.
Howard would like to get some game experience withKobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash before the Lakers' Oct. 30 season opener against the Dallas Mavericks.
"I'll be a little nervous out there for the first time, but [Nash] said he would help me through it and hopefully it will be OK," Howard told reporters after Thursday's practice.
Yahoo! Sports' NBA columnist Adrian Wojnarowski contributed to this story.]]>http://www.mihilaradio.com/article23785-lakers-planning-for-dwight-howard-to-play-sunday.htmlsportsnewsFri, 19 Oct 2012 00:43:59 -0700Toronto Raptor fans rejoice, Jonas Valanciunas is ready to win you overhttp://www.mihilaradio.com/article23784-toronto-raptor-fans-rejoice-jonas-valanciunas-ready-to-win-you-over.html

"He loves to dunk. Everything around the rim, he just tries to tear the rim down."
Describing the game of Lithuanian national team teammate Jonas Valanciunas, Real Madrid guard Martynas Pocius didn't waste any time before mentioning the dunking. It's Valanciunas' favorite thing. Actually, rebounding and dunking, Valanciunas says, when asked what he loves best when on the basketball court.When the Toronto Raptors selected Valanciunas with the fifth pick in the 2011 NBA draft, their fan base wasn't initially sure how to react. After a handful of disappointing seasons, missing the playoffs and losing Chris Bosh, they wanted something to be excited about. A player they were familiar with. A personality they could easily root for. Instead, they were given a European big man they didn't know much about, but were promised they would love.
A year later (Valanciunas had to spend another season with Lietuvos Rytas before joining the Raptors) it took just one week of training camp for all of the players, coaching staff and front office personnel to realize that in addition to drafting a big man with a ton of potential, they'd also drafted one of the most personable players in the '11 draft class. He is exactly what Toronto fans have been waiting for.

While Valanciunas missed almost all of training camp because of a calf injury and has played in justtwo preseason games thus far, the hype is here and it's easy to see why. A 20-year-old 7-footer who likes contact, has good hands, makes free throws with ease and loves basketball is a sight for sore eyes.
Let's get this out of the way right now: Jonas Valanciunas loves the game of basketball. Not in the love-it-because-I'm tall-and-this-is-what-I'm-going-to-do kind of way. He loves it in the because-it's-all-I-do-because-all-I-want-to-do-is-win-and-all-I-want-to-be-is-the-best kind of way.
"In my blood," is how Valanciunas explained his passion for the game while pointing to his heart beating below his practice uniform. "I was really young … I came to the basketball practice. Since that time, I've been in love with basketball."
[Fantasy Basketball '12: Play the official game of NBA.com]
In Lithuania where basketball is life in the way that hockey seems to rule Canada, Valanciunas has been living away from his family since he was 14 years old (that's six years of living solo prior to this rookie season). It wasn't easy on Valanciunas' mother, Danute, to allow her son to move to Vilnius alone at such a young age, but he feels it has made him better prepared for NBA life here in North America.
"[The] first year was really hard," Valanciunas explained. "After a year, after two years, I adjusted and that made it easier. I think it helped for me. Now I can stay alone. For example, now in Toronto it's a new city for me and I'm alone here." He quickly continued, "I'm not alone, I have my teammates, actually. But no one from my family is here."
While Valanciunas was falling in love with basketball, his mother had other plans for him.
"I was in dance lessons since I was young," he said with a smile. "I was, I think, 8 years old. I was dancing. I was in dance lessons. It took me three years and I quit after I realized that basketball is my way. My life way." He flashed that grin as he shook his head and emphasized, "Basketball. Not dancing."
Jonas won't dance, don't ask him (Getty Images)Despite their differing views on his destined career, Valanciunas credits his mother with keeping him grounded and said they are very close and talk often via Skype. The two will be reunited this Christmas when Danute comes to Toronto to spend the holiday with her son.
Lithuanians are relieved that Valanciunas recognized his gifts and fell in love with their sport. Arvydas Sabonis, a Hall of Famer and the most talented pivot man ever to come out of Lithuania, was quoted in a story by Sports Illustrated writer Luke Winn as saying, "…Valanciunas is the future of our country. We don't have another big man like him."
Coming from a Lithuanian hero, those are lofty words of praise. When presented with them, Valanciunas shrugged them off immediately. With an endearing lack of self-indulgence, he explained. "I don't care because I need to improve. It's good that he says that. I feel pleasure about that, I feel good because of that, but you know, I have to prove that. That is just words, I need to prove it."
Talk to the coaching staff or his teammates and you will only find a support system who believe that he will fulfill his potential. Unlike some players who have the skill, but leave you questioning their desire, Valanciunas wants little more than to work his way to the top of this league, while expressing respect for his new colleagues.
"All players are good in this league," he explained. "Each one is special. One can rebound good. One is real athletic. Everyone is special. I want to bring my specialties." Despite his appreciation of the NBA, neither his confidence nor his goals have been shaken since arriving in Toronto.
"For me basketball is about victories," he said. "If you're playing basketball you have to want to win. For me, from the young days, I want to win. I want to be in the first place. Everything is about competing."
For further evidence of this competitive nature, ask one of the other big men on the Raptors roster. After being cleared to practice last week, veteran Amir Johnson had a laugh as he told the media that Valanciunas was cutting in front of teammates during lineups for drills because he was so anxious to get going. "I had to tell him, 'Slow down, young fella,'" Johnson laughed.
When Valanciunas talks about the differences between the NBA and basketball in Europe, it's easy to see why he has been champing at the bit to get things going in practice.
"In Europe we had two practices a day," he said. "I came here and it's one practice a day; so there's extra free time, so I'm trying to spend that extra free time in the gym working out."
Asked what he likes to do when he's not playing basketball, he paused, said, "video games," and then continued, "I don't know. Everything about basketball. Basketball is my passion, my life. I spend so much time on the court, a lot of time on the court. I don't have too much free time; I'd rather be on the court."
The personality that Raptors staffers have been raving about comes out immediately upon meeting him. Save for his first media day scrum where he faced a crush of reporters and admitted to them that, hey, I'm nervous, Valanciunas has been telling jokes and deadpanning his delivery ever since he arrived to Toronto last month and his teammates love him for it.
"Jonas, he's got a great sense of humor," DeMar DeRozan shared. "I didn't know he was going to be that funny. He's pretty funny, man. I was walking by him the other day and he was listening to Gucci Mane. Yeah, it surprised me. He was listening to Gucci Mane. He probably's got more rap on his iPod than me."
John Lucas III's locker is next to Valanciunas' in the locker room. The two lively new Raptors have developed a great rapport already. After a recent game against the Pistons, the veteran told the rookie that he wanted him to pick up breakfast from McDonald's the next morning and deliver it to him at 7:00 a.m. Valancinuas smiled and calmly looked toward the media herd assembled in front of him. "Help me out, guys? Can you help me?" he asked, and then smiled broadly when the locker room erupted into laughter. Lucas shook his head, laughed to himself and told Valanciunas he was only joking and that since the next day would be their first off day since training camp, he didn't want to see him.
As Lucas was getting ready to leave the locker room, Valanciunas pointed at the loud gold and silver sneakers that the point guard was wearing. "That's swag," he said with a look of satisfaction on his face as his proper usage of the word was rewarded with smiles around the room.
From his efforts to try and learn slang terms to his dedication on the court, Lucas has been impressed with the approach Valanciunas has shown thus far.
"He's going to be a very successful NBA player in this league," Lucas said. "He's young, he's hungry. He's still learning he's like a sponge soaking everything up, but he's not getting frustrated. You say something to him and he's like, 'OK, I got you,' and he corrects it. If he doesn't understand he'll come talk to you and figure it out. When you have a young guy like that, shoot, sky is the limit for them."
Pocius, who played at Duke for four seasons before returning to Europe to play for Zalgiris Kaunas and now Real Madrid, also said that Valanciunas has the right stuff to make it in the league.
"First of all, he's a great kid," Pocius said. "Has heart, great attitude, hard working. He's also very, very gifted. Really athletic, really long arms and he definitely takes advantage of that. Especially in pick and rolls. He picks and then he rolls really well with his arms up the whole time. If you just give the ball to him, just (motioning with his hands) boom. Dunk. I think it's going to be exciting to watch him as the season goes on. He'll adjust more and more to the game and it'll be more and more fun to watch him. I think with time he will get stronger, like I said this is just the beginning. I think he can make an impact right from the start for sure."
Dwane Casey feels the same way, throwing Valanciunas out with the starting lineup in Toronto's game against the Pistons. It was the second game for Valanciunas and he picked up 11 points and eight rebounds in his 29 minutes of action. In each of his two preseason games, Valanciunas has walked over to each of the three officials prior to the game and extended a hand to introduce himself by saying, "Hi, I'm Jonas."
He does the same with the media members who cover him each day, making it his goal to learn their names and choosing to open his media scrums by asking how their days have been, then patiently waiting for their responses.
While things on the court have come with ease, he said the only thing that trips him up —language wise— is the slang his teammates are tossing around off of it. "Slang, that slang. There's a lot of things that I'm just like, 'What?' but they explain it and then I get it." he said with a head shake, before continuing, "Everybody on this team is really good guys. They know that I'm different because I'm from Europe. The language and all that stuff, they're helping me, they're supporting me. I'm happy."
"He's comfortable," DeRozan said with a smile. "You can tell he's real comfortable. He's not shy at all. He's cool. He's got a hell of a sense of humor, too."
In addition to being happy with his teammates, Valanciunas is also thrilled to finally be in the NBA. "This is the best league in the world," he said. "I think all basketball players want to play in this league, so me, too." As for his new city, he's a fan of the diversity, calling it a "great, great city." Asked what he'd like Raptors fans to know about him he doesn't hesitate in saying, "That I love the fans. I love the fans. I love the basketball fans. Back home I always was talking with fans. For me it's not a problem to sign autographs or take a picture. For me that's OK."
The thing that stands out most about Valanciunas -- more than his considerable height, more than his sharpened sense of humor -- is his humanity. He's personable and kind, unbelievably comfortable in his skin and unabashedly excited about the opportunity to play in the NBA. It's hard to believe he's only 20 years old.
Look at some of the billboards of him from Lithuania and it's hard to believe he's so grounded.
"He's a kid from a little country town in Lithuania," Pocius explained. "He grew up there with his mom. Just over the past couple of years he sort of got big, popular or whatever. I don't think that has changed him a lot. It's a good thing. He's still humble, he's still a good guy."
He's a kid from a little country town in Lithuania who grew up with huge basketball dreams and a hunger to win that continues to get stronger.
"I want to be me," Valanciunas said. "I want to be Jonas and I want to have a great career in the NBA. That's my dream and I want to make my dream come true."
He also wants NBA fans to know one thing.
"I really love basketball. That's about it."]]>http://www.mihilaradio.com/article23784-toronto-raptor-fans-rejoice-jonas-valanciunas-ready-to-win-you-over.htmlsportsnewsFri, 19 Oct 2012 00:43:23 -0700Kevin Love could return sooner than T'wolves expect from broken hand suffered doing pushupshttp://www.mihilaradio.com/article23783-kevin-love-could-return-sooner-than-twolves-expect-from-broken-hand-suffered-doing-pushups.html
After meeting with a specialist in New York on Thursday to examine his broken hand, Kevin Lovecould be cleared within a five-to-six-week window to return to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.Love fractured two knuckles on his shooting hand while doing pushups Wednesday morning in his home. The Wolves issued a statement Thursday saying the rehab process remains six to eight weeks, but sources tell Y! there's a possibility that estimate will ultimately be on the long end.
"While doing various pushups, including knuckle pushups, which are part of my regular workout routine, I hurt my hand," Love said in a statement. "I immediately knew something was wrong and called head athletic trainer Gregg Farnam."
While his basketball skills trainer Rob McClanaghan had been present for Love's workout in his home, he wasn't overseeing Love's workout. As he has done for several years, McClanaghan was visiting Minneapolis to do on-court basketball workouts with Love in post-practice settings. Love was undertaking his own personal regimen when the injury occurred.
[Fantasy Basketball '12: Play the official game of NBA.com]
For Love to return by late November, it could give the franchise a chance to make up lost ground on the playoff chase. Point guard Ricky Rubio is expected to return from a knee injury sometime in December.
Love developed into one of the NBA's elite players a season ago, averaging 26 points and 13.3 rebounds for the Wolves.]]>http://www.mihilaradio.com/article23783-kevin-love-could-return-sooner-than-twolves-expect-from-broken-hand-suffered-doing-pushups.htmlsportsnewsFri, 19 Oct 2012 00:42:46 -0700NHL and NHLPA wasting time with scare tactics and PR stunts instead of settling CBAhttp://www.mihilaradio.com/article23782-nhl-nhlpa-wasting-time-scare-tactics-pr-stunts-instead-settling-cba.html
You want to make a deal? You want to play hockey? You want to save a full season? This is what you don't do: If you're the NHL, you don't reject three proposals in minutes and go home in a huff. If you're the NHL Players' Association, you don't offer "three alternative ways to look at this," as executive director Don Fehr put it, and wonder why the other side says you aren't speaking the same language. You especially don't dangle your biggest carrot without thinking it all the way through."I am, to say the least, thoroughly disappointed," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters Thursday in Toronto, after talks broke up and the league brass took off for New York.

"Today is not a good day," Fehr said. "It should have been, but it wasn't."Finally, something we can all agree on.By now, we should know spin and posturing and scare tactics when we see them, and we should know how quickly things can change. Bettman said he still hoped to play an 82-game season. His deadline remains Oct. 25 to reach a deal so a full season can start Nov. 2. Even if that deadline is not met, the odds remain that there will be some kind of abbreviated season. The sides are too close and have too much to lose. All is not lost. Yet.Yet there is still too much BS - old grudges, negotiating tactics, PR moves - and not enough business, and until that changes, nothing else is going to change. Both sides have now made offers that at leastlook fair: The owners will split hockey-related revenue 50/50 with the players, while honoring existing contracts, in a way. The players will split HRR 50/50 with the owners, they say, after existing contracts are honored. But of course, neither proposal is as simple as it seems, and neither side will negotiate off the other's proposals, and fair is a subjective term. And so 'round and 'round we go.[Related: Union boss Don Fehr slams league's negotiating tactics]Again, to be clear, the bulk of the blame belongs to the owners. They locked out the players for an entire season in 2004-05, and they got a salary cap and a 24-percent salary rollback. Now, despite seven years of record revenues, they're locking them out again and asking for more, more, more. They want them to go from 57 percent of HRR to 50, right now, when that represents $231 million a year, if revenues are flat. They want to tighten contracting rules, when loosening them was their concession last time. Their opening offer was too harsh, and now they're being only less harsh, and they're still being stubborn.Fehr helpfully reminds us of the 2004-05 background every time he holds a news conference. But again, the players are not blameless victims. They prospered under the last CBA and are better off than ever before. How are they going to win here? What is their end game? They should not cave just because the owners want them to. They should not take a bad deal just because they are under pressure. But they have to acknowledge that the owners have the hammer - like it or not, as bitter as they are at Bettman, as much as they distrust the owners - and their goal must be to get the best deal they can. They are going to lose in the end; they have to mitigate their loss. Is this the best way to do that?To reach the best deal for everyone, both sides have to make offers the other would reasonably accept - something in line with the other's principles - and they have to do it before too much money is lost and future growth is threatened.The players' union created an opportunity by holding out, but then didn't capitalize on it. (AP)Forget the owners' previous offers. Their last offer, at last, at least began to address the players' stance. The players' No. 1 principle has been "no rollback;" the owners came up with the "make whole" provision, making up for money lost on current contracts with deferred payments. The players have been willing to take less of future growth; the owners offered 50 percent of HRR. The players have asked for more revenue sharing; the owners offered $200 million - up from the $140 million from last season, not far from the $240 million the players have proposed. (Funny, you don't hear the players talk so much about that issue anymore, when that was their moral high ground before.) The players have resisted changes in contracting rules; the owners backed off a bit.The players don't like the "make whole" provision, because it comes out of their future share. It's players paying players, not owners paying players. Well, they could have proposed that it come out of the owners' share instead. They didn't. The players could have negotiated descending percentages of HRR - going from, say, 54 down to 50 - which would still increase their pay in the long run based on their projections, which are more optimistic than the league's. They didn't. They could have tweaked the rest of the owners' proposal. They didn't. They just said no, at least according to the NHL.[Also: The Vent: A 'hunger strike' protest and a lockout party]By holding out, the players got the owners to make two straight proposals, to negotiate against themselves, to get about where we thought they were headed all along. Kudos. They created an opportunity.They didn't seize it. They blew it."I view the proposal that was made by the players' association in many ways a step backward," Bettman said. "The proposal that we made, so we can be clear about it, at 50/50 and all the other things, was the best that we could do. We gave it our best shot. It was our best offer. We gave the players' association what we had to give."The players' first two proposals involve a lot of math, but they boil down to this - they depend on future growth. For their percentage of HRR to go down, HRR has to rise a certain amount. For it to approach 50 percent, HRR has to rise a lot. One of the proposals would never actually reach 50 percent. That protects what the players have already. It puts all the responsibility and risk on the owners. While that appeals to the players and might be a lockout deterrent in theory - the owners better settle now before they mess up that growth, right? - it doesn't appeal to the owners and ignores the reality that the owners are prepared to cancel games and mess up that growth to get their way.The players' third proposal sounded reasonable. They would split HRR 50/50, as long as the owners honored contracts they've already signed. Who doesn't think that's fair? Who doesn't think the owners should live up to their word? But remember, the players signed those contracts in an escrow system, knowing they might not see every dollar. They could have proposed a cap on escrow. They didn't. They proposed some money be set aside, with the rest split 50/50. The NHL says it is not nearly as good as it looks.[More: The NHL reveals its full CBA proposal]"It is not a 50/50 deal," deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. "It is, most likely a 56- to 57-percent deal in Year 1 and never gets to 50 percent during the proposed five-year term of the agreement. The proposal contemplates paying the players approximately $650 million outside of the players' share. In effect, the union is proposing to change the accounting rules to be able to say '50/50,' when in reality it is not. The union told us that they had not yet 'run the numbers.' We did."That last part is a shot, sure. But the union told the public the same thing. Fehr said the players had just come up with the idea."We haven't been able to run the numbers yet," Fehr said.Really? What the heck has the union been doing since Sept. 12, the last time it made a proposal? The leaders haven't run the numbers yet on their best-sounding offer so far? What do the rank and file think about that? Did the rank and file press the leadership to make that proposal during that last-minute conference call Thursday? Is that why the negotiating session was delayed?Enough. Enough of the games. Enough of the too-smart solutions and strategies. Enough of the history lectures and economics lessons. Enough of the grudges and the greed.Owners, get back to the table and find more in the players' proposals you can adopt. Players, get off your high horses and find a way to give the owners more of what they want without compromising your principles.Ask yourselves how much is enough, because the rest of us, we already know.We've had enough of all of it. ]]>http://www.mihilaradio.com/article23782-nhl-nhlpa-wasting-time-scare-tactics-pr-stunts-instead-settling-cba.htmlsportsnewsFri, 19 Oct 2012 00:42:05 -0700Sidney Crosby didn’t try to break Claude Giroux’s wrists, but if he did, goodhttp://www.mihilaradio.com/article23781-sidney-crosby-didnt-try-to-break-claude-girouxs-wrists-but-if-he-did-good.html
Shortly after the Philadelphia Flyers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, Claude Girouxwent under the knife to repair fractures to both of his wrists. But the symmetrical scars remain, and in July, he was asked about them by Kevin Anderson of the Timmins Press."J'accuse, Sidney Crosby!" said Giroux. (Well, basically. Crosby was the culprit, according to Giroux. His response just wasn't quite so Zola-esque*.) From the Timmins Press:

"Those are from (Sidney) Crosby," he says half smiling, but with some tension in his voice. "Every time we'd line up against each other for a face-off during our (2012 playoff) series, instead of going for the puck when it was dropped, he'd hack me across the wrists. I ended up playing the series against (New) Jersey with one of them fractured and had to go for surgery on both of them after we were out of the playoffs."

Crosby did that? Former Timbits player Sidney Crosby? But he seems so nice!
Or not. On Wednesday, Crosby (i.e., the accused) sat down with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to talk the lockout, among other topics. One such other topic: Claude Giroux's broken wrists, and the role Crosby played in how they got that way. So did he see the faceoff circle as the fairgrounds for slash-a-palooza on Giroux's wrists?

"No. I really like to win the faceoff.

Oh, OK.

I don't try to go after his wrists but if I caught it, I'm not sorry for it.

Hold up. What?

I think it's hilarious I hear that stuff from Philly. It's comedy to me to be honest with you. They're probably involved in that stuff more than any team in the league and they're the ones always talking about it. I guess I'm not apologetic. I was trying to win a faceoff and if I caught his wrist, then I caught his wrist. He seemed to play okay so I couldn't have hurt him that bad."

So, in other words, Sidney Crosby didn't try to break Claude Giroux's wrists, and they certainly didn't seem broken, but if he did, that's totally fine with him.
These guys are so nasty to each other. Janet Jackson nasty.
Among the myriad reasons the lockout needs to end right the heck now: we need to get these two back on a sheet of ice while they're still mad about last year's playoffs (read: temporarily insane), and before they forget how much they hate each other.
You should totally follow @HarrisonMooney on Twitter]]>http://www.mihilaradio.com/article23781-sidney-crosby-didnt-try-to-break-claude-girouxs-wrists-but-if-he-did-good.htmlsportsnewsFri, 19 Oct 2012 00:41:16 -0700